Tube tray



Sept. 13, 1966 wElNER 3,272,371

TUBE TRAY Filed March 12, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR BEA/JAM/A F. IVE/N6! Mum ATTORNEYS B. F. WEINER Sept. 13, 1966 TUBE TRAY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 12, 1965 ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,272,371 TUBE TRAY Benjamin F. Weiner, North Bellmore, N.Y., assignor to Chase Instruments Corporation, Long Island City, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Mar. 12, 1965, Ser. No. 439,249

6 Claims. (Cl. 21726.5)

The present invention relates to structure for storing tubes such as culture tubes or test tubes either on shelves in suitable storage areas or during shipment.

In particular, the present invention relates to trays capable of receiving tubes of this type.

Conventional tube trays are capable of nesting in each other so that they occupy a relatively small amount of space when they are empty. However, when tubes are situated in these trays and then the latter are stacked one above the other with tubes therein, the ends of the trays do not all become situated in a common plane. Because of the fact that tubes carried by one of the trays will be aligned with the spaces between the tubes carried by the adjoining trays, a stack of trays with tubes therein will be alternately staggered so that the ends of one tray are olfset with respect to the ends of the adjoining trays, and the result is not only that more space is occupied than is absolutely required by the tubes themselves, but in addition during shipment it is difficult to securely pack these trays in containers.

It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide tube trays which will avoid the above drawbacks.

In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide relatively inexpensive tube trays which, when they are empty, can be readily nested within each other, while when they contain tubes can be stacked one above the other without requiring one tray of tubes to be longitudinally displaced with respect to the adjoining trays of tubes, so that in this way a stack of tube-containing trays according to the invention will occupy an extremely small amount of space with the ends of the trays all being aligned with each other so that a secure packing of the trays can be provided in suitable containers while at the same time when the trays are mounted in suitable storage areas they will not have undesirably projecting ends which are likely to be displaced.

Primarily, each tube tray of the invention will be provided at one end of the row of tube-receiving channels thereof with a bottom wall portion those width is approximately equal to one-half the width of each tubereceiving channel, so that in this way it is possible to arrange the ends of the trays in such a way that they will be in alignment with each other when the trays are stacked with tubes therein, as will be apparent from the description below.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a tube tray according to the invention shown with some tubes situated therein;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the tube tray of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows in elevation a stack of trays, with tubes therein, as seen when looking toward the elongated sides of the trays;

FIG. 4 is an end elevation of the structure of FIG. 3 as seen from the left end of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional elevation on an enlarged scale, as compared to FIGS. 1-4, illustrating the manner in which the trays of the invention can be stacked;

FIG. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5 in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional elevation "ice of the empty trays of the invention shown in nested relation.

Referring now to the drawings and to FIGS. 1 and 2 in particular, the tube tray 10 of the present invention consists of a thin-walled body 12 which is of substantially uniform thickness at all of its parts and which can be made very inexpensively from any one of a number of plastics, the particular tray 10 shown in the drawings being made of a flexible plastic such as polyethylene or polystyrene, although many other plastics are suitable for the tray 10.

The body 12 has an upper peripheral edge 14 which is of rectangular configuration, as is apparent from FIG. 2, and this peripheral edge 14 has a pair of opposed substantially parallel elongated sides 16 and a pair of opposed elongated substantially parallel ends 18 which are shorter than and extend between the sides 16. A pair of side walls 20 extend downwardly from the opposed parallel sides 16 of the peripheral edge 14, and these walls 20 are interconnected by a bottom wall 22 (FIG. 2) which, in a plane situated between and substantially parallel to the side walls 20, has a scalloped configuration 24 shown most clearly in FIG. 5. The scalloped structure 24 of the bottom wall 22 provides this bottom wall with a row of elongated channels 26 (FIG. 2) which extend across the bottom wall between the side walls 22, and these channels 26 meet at crests 28 and have upwardly directed concave surfaces and downwardly directed convex surfaces, so that tubes such as the culture tubes A (FIG. 1) can be received in these channels 26. The elongated crests 28 do not extend all the way up to the side walls 20, but instead extend between flattened portions 30 which are directly next to the side walls 20, as is particularly apparent from FIGS. 2 and 6. FIG. 6 also shows the slight inclination of the side walls 20.

At its upper peripheral edge 14, the body 12 is provided with an endless lip 32 which is in the form of a flange directed outwardly from the interior of the tray, so that in this way the tray 10 can easily be grasped.

The row of channels 26 terminates at one end in a channel 34 (FIG. 5) which is joined directly to one of the elongated ends 18 of the peripheral edge 14 of the body 12, while the other end of the row of channels 26 terminates in a channel 36' which is spaced from the other end 18 of the edge 14, as is particularly apparent from FIG. 5. The tray of the invention includes a bottom wall portion 38 which extends between the end channel 36 and the adjacent end 18 of the edge 14, and as is apparent from FIG. 5 this wall portion 38 is situated at an elevation higher than the lowermost portions of the channels 26. In the illustrated example the bottom wall portion 38 is situated at the same elevation as the crests 28 between the channels 26, and furthermore this wall portion 38 is substantially flat.

Thus, the tray of the invention can very conveniently be used by itself to receive tubes such as the culture tubes A shown in FIG. 1.

On the other hand, it is a simple matter to provide a stack 40 of the trays (FIGS. 3 and 4), and it will be noted that the tubes carried by one of the trays are aligned with the spaces between the tubes carried by the adjoining trays. Thus, as may be seen from FIG. 5, the tubes C carried by the intermediate tray of the stack are in alignment with the spaces between the tubes B carried by the lower tray and the tubes D carried by the upper tray of FIG. 5. As is apparent from FIG. 5, the several channels 26 have a uniform width in a direction parallel to the sides 20, and the wall portion 38 has in this same direction a width which is approximately equal to one-half the width of each channel 26. Therefore, when the trays are stacked as shown in FIG. 5 in longitudinal alignment but oriented in directly opposed directions alternately, so that the wall portions 38 of the successive trays of the stack a-re alternately situated at opposite ends of the stack, these opposite ends of the stack are in alignment with each other, thus avoiding any offset, staggered arrangement of the ends of the stack and thus enabling the stack with the tubes in the trays thereof to be very securely packed and stored. On the other hand, when the trays are empty they readily nest into each other to form a stack 42, as shown in FIG. 7, and in this case of course all of the trays are oriented in the same direction.

What is claimed is:

1. A tube tray consisting of a thin-walled body of substantially uniform thickness having an upper peripheral edge of rectangular configuration provided with a pair of elongated opposed substantially parallel sides and a pair of elongated opposed substantially parallel ends extending between said sides and being shorter than said sides, said body having a pair of opposed side walls extending down from said sides of said peripheral edge and having a bottom wall situated distant from said peripheral edge and extending between and connected to said side walls, said bottom wall having in a plane substantially parallel to and situated between said side walls a scalloped configuration providing said bottom wall with a row of upwardly directed elongated channels each extending between said side walls for receiving a tube therein, said channels having upwardly directedconcave surfaces and downwardly directed convex surfaces, and said row of channels terminating at one end in an end channel connected directly to one of said ends of said peripheral edge of said body, said channels having, in a direction parallel to said sides of said peripheral edge, a substantially uniform width and said row of channels terminating distant from said one end of said peripheral edge in an end channel spaced from the other end of said peripheral edge by a distance approximately equal to one-half the width of each of said channels, and said bottom wall having between said other end of said peripheral edge of said body and the .end channel adjacent thereto a bottom wall portion situated at an elevation higher than the lowermost portions of .said channels.

2. A tray as recited in claim 1 and wherein said bottom wall portion between said other end of said peripheral edge and the end channel adjacent thereto is substantially flat and situated below the elevation of said peripheral edge of said body.

3. A tray as recited in claim 1 and wherein said body has an outwardly directed lip extending along said peripheral edge thereof.

4. A tray as recited in claim 1 and wherein said row of channels intersect at crests situated lower than said peripheral edge and between said side walls, said bottom wall portion between said end of said peripheral edge and said end channel adjacent thereto being substantially flat and situated at substantially the same elevation as said crests.

5. A tray as recited in claim 1 and wherein said body is made of a flexible plastic.

6. A tube stacking assembly comprising a plurality of identical trays capable of being nested within each other when they are empty, each tray consisting of a thin-walled body of substantially uniform thickness having an upper peripheral edge of rectangular configuration provided with a pair of opposed elongated substantially parallel sides and a pair of opposed elongated substantially parallel ends which are shorter than said sides, said body having a pair of side walls extending downwardly from said sides of said peripheral edge, respectively, and a bottom Wall connected to and extending between said side walls distant from said peripheral edge, said bottom wall having in a plane situated between and parallel to said side walls a scalloped configuration providing said bottom wall with a row of elongated upwardly directed channels each extending between said side walls for receiving a tube therein, said row of channels having upwardly directed concave sur faces and downwardly directed convex surfaces and all having in a direction parallel to said sides of said peripheral edge a substantially uniform width, said row of channels terminating at one end in an end channel connected directly to one of said ends of said peripheral edge and at the other end in an end channel spaced from the other end of said peripheral edge by a distance approximately equal to one-half said width of each channel, and said bottom wall having between said other end of said peripheral edge and the end channel adjacent thereto a bottom wall portion situated at an elevation higher than the lowermost portions of said channels, whereby said trays will nest in each other when empty and identically oriented while when said trays contain tubes they can be stacked one above the other with each tray oriented in a direction opposed to its neighboring trays so that the peripheral edges of the stacked trays will be in alignment.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,655,283 10/1953 Moldt 220-97 3,163,312 12/1964 Chaplin 217-265 3,197,058 7/1965 Hale 22097 3,224,569 12/1965 Leitzel 229---2.5

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

RAPHAEL H. SCHWARTZ, Examiner. 

1. A TUBE TRAY CONSISTING OF A THIN-WALLED BODY OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM THICKNESS HAVING AN UPPER PERIPHERAL EDGE OF RECTANGULAR CONFIGURATION PROVIDED WITH A PAIR OF ELONGATED OPPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL SIDES AND A PAIR OF ELONGATED OPPOSED SUBSTANTAILLY PARALLEL ENDS EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID SIDES AND BEING SHORTER THAN SAID SIDES, SAID BODY HAVING A PAIR OF OPPOSED SIDE WALLS EXTENDING DOWN FROM SAID SIDES OF SAID PERIPHERAL EDGE AND HAVING A BOTTOM WALL SITUATED DISTANT FROM SAID PERIPHERAL EDGE AND EXTENDING BETWEEN AND CONNECTED TO SAID SIDE WALLS, SAID BOTTOM WALL HAVING IN A PLANE SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO AND SITUATED BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALLS A SCALLOPED CONFIGURATION PROVIDING SAID BOTTOM WALL WITH A ROW OF UPWARDLY DIRECTED ELONGATED CHANNELS EACH EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALLS FOR RECEIVING A TUBE THEREIN, SAID CHANNELS TERWARDLY DIRECTED CONCAVE SURFACES AND DOWNWARDLY DIRECTED CONVEX SURFACES, AND SAID ROW OF CHANNELS TERMINATING AT ONE END IN AN END CHANNEL CONNECTED DIRECTLY TO ONE OF SAID ENDS OF SAID PERIPHERAL EDGE OF SAID BODY, SAID CHANNELS HAVING, IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO SAID SIDE OF SAID PERIPHERAL EDGE, A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM WIDTH AND SAID ROW OF CHANNELS TERMINATING DISTANT FROM SAID ONE END OF SAID PERIPHERAL EDGE IN AN END CHANNEL SPACED FROM THE OTHR END OF SAID PERIPHERAL EDGE BY A DISTANCE APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO ONE-HALF THE WIDTH OF EACH OF SAID CHANNELS, AND SAID BOTTOM WALL HAVING BETWEEN SAID OTHER END OF SAID PERIPHERAL EDGE OF SAID BODY AND THE END CHANNEL ADJACENT THERETO A BOTTOM WALL PORTION SITUATED AT AN ELEVATION HIGHER THAN THE LOWERMOST PORTIONS OF SAID CHANNELS. 